Geronimo Hustle: Paratroopers nab JBER football crown

  • Published
  • By John Pennell
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  It was a battle of undefeated teams, but the paratroopers of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), trumped the maintainers from the 3rd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, 18-7, in the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson flag football championship, Sept. 30, at Buckner Physical Fitness Center's football field.

The two teams had each managed perfect seasons and postseasons to represent the Army and Air Force in the final JBER match.

The paratroopers won the coin toss for the championship game and elected to take first possession.

They swiftly marched down the field and scored on a touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Spence to Tim Kincaid.

Their extra point attempt was batted away, leaving 3-509th with an early 6-0 edge.
EMS began their first possession from their own 20-yard line, but things went sideways quickly as Spence, now playing defense, snagged an errant pass from EMS quarterback Richard Pantoja and headed for the end zone.

Spence had a clear path for a pick six, but his effort was denied by an illegal blocking penalty called on one of his fellow paratroopers.

The penalty gave the 3-509th the ball on the 40-yard line, but Spence quickly hooked up again with Kincaid for another touchdown pass. Their extra point attempt was again thwarted, leaving 3-509th with a 12-0 lead.

EMS got another possession before halftime, but could not move the ball effectively and ended up punting away to the paratroopers. The score remained 12-0 at the intermission.

The maintainers took first possession in the second half, and quickly moved the ball downfield on a series of passes and quarterback scrambles before Pantoja hit Hampton Miller with a touchdown pass.

Marcos Collazo caught a short screen pass and bulled his way into the end zone for the extra point, cutting 3-509th's edge to 12-7.

Spence rallied his troops quickly and moved the football back downfield on the paratrooper's ensuing possession, hitting Will Morris on a long pass play to the EMS 20-yard line.

Spence followed up with a quarterback scramble, darting across the goal line for the paratrooper's third touchdown.

Once again the extra point attempt was stymied, but the paratroopers now held an 18-7 edge with time growing short for EMS.

Disaster hit the maintainers on their next possession when Pantoja went down with a twisted ankle. Without their speedy quarterback, the offense ground to a halt and EMS could manage no more scoring against the 3-509th defense.

The victory gave 3-509th bragging rights for the football season, but another challenger - in the form of Fort Wainwright's top team - is heading for the JBER gridiron for a short tournament, Oct. 16.